OR1-EP1: Rainbow Nation (15)

So far, the two major forces holding opposing opinions are convinced of their own speculated conclusions. Before finding out the evidence of Nito Mariam's murder of Jorge Dias, the army or the hardliners represented by Colonel Karl Duttmann will never let the suspect out. Helplessly, although the African driver admitted that he had taken the relics from the lawyer Dias, he insisted that he was not the murderer. Besides, deciding to take something as a memorial in memory of the dead employer-although it sounds absurd and there is a suspicion of stealing, it cannot directly lead to the conclusion of the murder. Colonel Duttmann, who thought he would be able to subdue the driver by virtue of his reputation and prestige, was brutally beaten and gave up his plan to interrogate himself in disgrace. In desperation, he thought of the mysterious man who kept bringing surprises to them. After Smilas contacted McNeil, who was learning about the EU's current military theory in Orange, Colonel Duttmann asked him to return to Transvaal to deal with the mystery.

"We are running out of time. If we continue to procrastinate like this, if someone who likes to cause trouble informs the media, the consequences will be disastrous." The colonel looked very anxious. "Mr. McNeil, I believe in your abilities-even so. It's a bit difficult to say, but I don't think there is a talent that fits the function of Generalist more than you."

In desperation, McNeil bid farewell to the instructors of the Orange Military Academy and drove back to Transvaal quickly. Before he had time to rest, he immediately went to Colonel Duttmann's office and asked to retrieve the recordings of the previous interrogations in order to understand the current progress. After spending half a day listening to all the recordings, McNeil made a list and hoped that Colonel Duttmann could prepare these items.

"What is this?" Smilas was puzzled. "If you plan to prepare torture instruments, we can still understand... But these rubbish-"

"Do as he say!" Colonel Duttmann stopped the questioning of his subordinates. He regarded the result above all else. As long as he can get the end he expected, it doesn't matter what means McNeil uses to achieve his goal. While other soldiers were preparing their tools, McNeil wore that leather jacket and walked into the interrogation room to confront the driver who had been detained for several days.

At first glance, Nito Mariam is quite different from many of his other compatriots. Most of the indigenous civilians living in cities live in poverty and have thin faces. When they stretched out their hands, others could see the outline of the bones on their arms; Nito Mariam was a bit fat, and looked like Father Alexandros Palaskas. Both of them have kind faces and chubby bodies. After seeing the driver's appearance, McNeil immediately rejected the previous speculation that Jorge Dias pretended to be a good man. If Lawyer Dias abused his servant secretly, he would definitely not be able to raise the natives so fat.

"Have we met before?" To McNeil's expectation, Mariam took the lead to speak. He didn't look into McNeil's eyes, but stared closely at the leather jacket he was wearing.

"I can't remember." McNeil racked his brains and couldn't think of when he met Mariam. "You may have a wrong memory. Just like we can't tell the difference between your looks, you probably can't tell the difference in appearance between us."

"That's right." The driver rubbed his hands and smiled shyly. "What are you going to ask me about?"

McNeil took out the transcript of the last interrogation, randomly found a problem and started his work today. He has never been an expert in this area, but he thinks it is similar to marching wars. It is necessary to find out the weaknesses of others and the content they are least willing to talk about. Things that are deliberately avoided are often fatal.

"Let us recall what you said. Whether it is to the police, the Guardian Corp or us, your confession is always: When you entered the underground parking lot from the other end, lawyer Jorge Dias had fallen to the ground, and Adalbert Herzog is driving away." After speaking, he pushed the notebook in front of Mariam and asked the driver to take a closer look at the contents. "This is what you said yourself, right?"

"Yes." The driver sniffed, his voice sounding choked, "Mr. Dias often meets with celebrities here, and I can roughly remember their situation after going there. I can be sure that it was Mr. Herzog who drove the car and flee away-if he hadn't committed the crime, he would have no reason to abandon his friend and leave alone."

At this time, McNeil finally remembered the appearance of Nito Mariam. On the day he first came to this world, the day the newspaper just reported that Adalbert Herzog was arrested for deliberate murder, he had seen this chubby but ragged driver in a nearby slum neighborhood. According to the results of McNeil's visit, Nito Mariam's wife fell ill, and he took all the salary the lawyer gave him to treat the illness to his family. The driver himself often wears old, cheap clothes, and only put on the only decent set of clothes except when driving out.

"I also regret that lawyer Jorge Dias is the conscience of our EU." McNeil sighed, "Then, when you first entered the parking lot, from your point of view, lawyer Dias Has fallen to the ground, is there a large patch of blood on the ground?"

"...I can't remember." Mariam was a little nervous. "My mind was completely chaotic at the time. After I got closer, I found the blood on the ground..."

"It's okay, it's okay. If it's me, I will panic when I see the violent death of a respected employer." McNeil quickly comforted each other, even pouring a glass of water for the driver graciously. After Nito Mariam finished drinking the water in the glass, McNeil began to ask the next question. The young officer in charge of supervision shook his head again and again. He didn't think McNeil's gentle interrogation could find out the truth. The final result was probably to let the real murderer go unpunished, and Adalbert Herzog continued to suffer.

McNeil continued to read the contents of the transcript, and he seemed to have found another breakthrough. The young former commander raised his head and solemnly asked Nito Mariam:

"Are you sure that the escape vehicle was driven by Mr. Adalbert Herzog?"

"Of course, I remember his license plate number." Mariam quickly agreed.

"Okay." McNeil told the young officer next to him, who immediately opened the door and asked his companions outside to bring in a piece of equipment, which turned out to be an eye chart with a built-in light source. McNeil placed the eye chart at the end of the interrogation room, pointed to a pattern in the middle of the chart and asked:

"What is this?"

Nito Mariam watched the eye chart with sweat, and said nothing.

"Say it, idiot, do you still have to think about this kind of thing?" The officer on the side was annoyed. "Don you even think twice before telling the result?"

The driver still didn't say a word, and big beads of sweat fell on the table. He was trembling all over, as if he had suffered an extremely severe blow.

"...This, sir...It's not easy to say..."

"I'll speak for you." McNeil asked to turn off the light on the eye chart. "You can't even see the middle of the eye chart, and you can't see if there were blood stains around the lawyer lying in the middle of the parking lot. However, you vowed to claim that you can see the license plate number of the escape vehicle on the other side of the parking lot. Your eyes are really amazing. I think we should quickly apply to the Academy of Sciences for a special study."

Nito Mariam collapsed back on the chair as if struck by lightning, staring blankly at the light above his head. However, the officers who witnessed this scene thought he would continue to resist, and rushed up in a rage, intending to squash the aboriginal man who did not admit his mistake. McNeil hurriedly stopped their actions and insisted that all these people leave the interrogation room. He explained to everyone that the overall situation is set, and they had better not rashly plant new hidden dangers. Then, he turned his head and said to the desperate driver:

"You'd better think carefully about what to do, otherwise, according to the current situation in South Africa, we are not sure to protect your family from angry citizens."

McNeil returned to rest in the corridor, and Gene Smilas was watching his every move nearby. No matter what miracle McNeil created, he is a suspected Britannian with unknown origin, and possibly a spy sent by the Britannian Empire to EU. In the hands of others, McNeil must be thrown into prison to be considered insurance. Colonel Duttmann believes in seeking wealth with dangerous, and it is impossible to make a big business without taking risks.

"You are lying to him, because according to the testimony it was added that the vehicle that drove out of that exit was Major Herzog's. Even if he was really unable to see clearly because of his poor eyesight, others could prove that the car belonged to Major Herzog, not the others."

" If I don't let him think that his crime has been exposed, how can I persuade him to confess?" McNeil took the espresso that Smilas handed over, frowned and smelled the refreshing smell, "If the information you provided to me is true, in the same parking lot that day, there were 8 vehicles with the same model as the suspected vehicle. Nito Mariam's eyesight was so bad that it was impossible for him to see who had escaped- In other words, even if someone finally make sure that Major Herzog was driving away, this sentence should be spoken by others, not him, and this guy insisted that Adalbert Herzog was the murderer when he called the police."

Smilas and McNeil sat in chairs together and discussed the cause and effect of the case. The major with a big beard is still a little worried. He believes that the evidence obtained by this method is not enough to save Adalbert Herzog from prison.

"You are gambling."

"Yes, I'm indeed gambling. I bet that he was hired by someone to kill someone, not just stealing a badge and misreading a license plate number. At the same time, I'm suggesting that we have proven that the car is not Major Herzog's car. He has no way to obtain information from the outside world, and of course he will not know that this fact, supported by multiple sources, cannot be overturned."

If the officers reminisce about the counterfeit money found in his home, they will conclude that someone hired Nito Mariam to murder Jorge Dias and maliciously paid him counterfeit money as a reward. Obviously Nito Mariam would never have the opportunity to distinguish the authenticity of these stolen money. Thinking of this, even Smilas felt sad for the driver. He killed a respected lawyer for others in vain, but in the end, he didn't earn anything. He had to wait to go to court and be sentenced to death. Even if he survived, he would be lynched. Such a tragic life is simply irreversible.

No matter how much they sympathize with Nito Mariam, this person must die, and only if he replaces Adalbert Herzog on the gallows can he restore the outlook of Governor Herzog. The interests of the officers and the governor are aligned. As the only local governor-general in Africa for hundreds of years, Jacob Herzog bears everyone's expectations. The consequence of not responding to these expectations is destruction. Someone wants to disintegrate the governor's rule step by step. Getting the governor's only son involved in the murder of friends and activists is the first move. Those who want to continue to live a stable life in South Africa can only choose to advance and retreat with the governor.

"Why do you make coffee without sugar?"

"You can add it yourself." Smilas said with a smile, "I'm afraid that my intelligence will decline after eating too much sugar."

"Oh, that's a lot less fun. The coffee without anything is just hot water with a bit of bitterness." McNeil handed the cup to Smilas disappointingly. "I will continue to talk to him. Tell the colonel, but don't let the colonel come here until the person has completely confessed."

Colonel Carl Duttmann didn't learn about the news until four in the afternoon. His first reaction was to immediately report the latest developments to Governor-general Herzog or other officials, but he quickly became sober: in the truth of the matter. It is recognized that producing unreliable results prematurely can lead to completely opposite results.

"I know, I knew the result must be like this." Duttmann ran around the square excitedly, and people who saw him probably thought the colonel was crazy. He proudly explained to others that none of the aboriginals were innocent, they were all current murderers or potential murderers. The best way is to wipe out all the indigenous people in Africa once and for all. This rhetoric made everyone enthusiastic, and young military officers took the initiative to ask for the fight to the end with these enemies who continue to endanger the lives of EU citizens. After successfully mobilizing the enthusiasm of the people, Colonel Duttmann carefully passed the news to Governor-general Herzog through multiple transfers. Even if the Governor-general himself fails in Europe, he is still a giant that the latter can only look up to compared to Duttmann. The fate of offending the governor-general is probably evaporating from the world.

"Excessively."

The governor-general, who was eating dinner in the house, threw the report aside blankly and continued to eat.

"Then do we need to continue-"

"Since they are so diligent, we can't stop their enthusiasm." Governor-general Herzog said, "Let them continue to do it. When things have reached this point, we can get the results we want without our intervention."

TBC